Dam



DAM

Filed April 50, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MW W ATTORNE s Patented June 28,1932 UNITED STATES PATENTFOFFICE EDGAR H. BURROUGHS, OF SOARSDALE, NEWYORK, ASSIGNOR TO AMBURSEN CON- STRUCTION COMPANY, INC., 01: N YORK, N.Y; .A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK DAM Application filed April 30,

This invention relates to a .novel and improved form of dam, and thenovel features will be best understood from the following descriptionand-the annexed drawings, in which 7 V i Fig. 1 is a vertical sectionalview through the upstream water bearing deck of a dam, parts beingomitted and other parts shown in elevation for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections taken on the lines 8-3and M respectively, ofFig. 1, the planes of these figures being parallel to that of Fig; 6. yi

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a transverse section through the upstream water bearing. deckand the haunches of the buttresses.

Figs. 7 and 8 are diagrammatic vertical sections of dams of the generaltype shown in this application.

Referring first to Figs. 6, 7 and 8, Fig. 7 shows a dam of the hollow orbuttress type, in which there is an upstream water bearing deck 1supported by a plurality of buttresses 2, these buttressesextendingupstream and downstream. While I shall refer to the dam and itsparts .in relation to a stream across which it is normallybuilt,nevertheless it is an to be understood that by the use of that term I donot intend to limit myself to a structure built only to control the flowof a stream. Extending between the buttresses 2 are slabs 3 which aresupported on bearing surfaces 4, it being understood that each slab 3extends between two adjacent buttresses. In designing a dam of this typeaccord ng to present practice, it is assumed that the deck is tied tothe buttresses intimately enough so that the entire vertical weight ofthe deck will be transmitted to the buttresses. It is desirable that theweight should be so transmitted because, if it'is, it tends to exert arighting effect on the dam as a whole. However, this assumption which issogen- 'erally used is actually fallacious, because when. constructed,the weight of thedeck is not so transmitted to the buttresses.

In Fig.1 7, there is shown a force diagram inwhich the line A representsthe weight of 1930. Serial No. 448,505.

the deck and this weight may be resolved into its components Band C, theline B representing the pressure normal to the upstream edges of thebuttresses, and the line C representing the tendency of the deck toslide length-wise of these edges. After the dam has been in service forsome time,the deck is very apt, under present conditions, to slide alongthe edges of the buttressesjunder the influence of the component C.Ithas been the practice to provide joints between the deck and thebuttresses, but up to the present time such joints have not beendesigned to resist the force or forces represented by the component C ofFig. 7. l 1

In Fig. 8, the line B. represents the same force as does the line B inFig.7, and the horiZontalcomponent-D of this force exerts an overturningmoment on the buttresses.

Furthermore, according to present practice, the deck may have an upwardmovement under conditions where there is a rising temperature. Thisforce tends to cause high localization of tensile stresses either onthebearing surfaces of the buttresses or On the upstream face of the dam,resulting in cracking of the buttresses. Such cracks are quite common inthis type of dam. 1

With the above discussion inmind, this invention relates to means fortransmittin the entire weight of the deck to the buttresses, so that itmay become effective in the manner in which it is now assumedto beeffective and, at the sametime, for preventing the formation of theaforesaid cracks in the buttresses. .v i

For the purpose of illustration, I shall assume that the upstream deckformed partlyby portions5 of the buttresses, these portions extendinglengthwise of the. buttresses. The slabs 3 rest on the bearing su-rfaces4 which extend laterally of the but.-

tresses and. outwardly from the downstream edges of the sides of theportions 5. y

Each slab and buttress have contacting surfaces, in one of which isprovided longi, tudinally extending grooves, and in the other of whichis provided corresponding tongues or projections disposed in said,grooves. In

this illustration, there are provided grooves 6 in the offset sides ofthe portions 5, and these grooves are made substantially continuous fromtop to bottom of the deck. There may be a break in the continuity ofthese grooves, which is desirable for designing purposes, as will bediscussed more fully later on, but the arrangement is such that theslabs may act together for substantially their entire height. Thesegrooves are pref.- erably parallel to the bearing surfaces 4 and to eachother;

Extending transversely of the slabs are grooves 7 which are here shownas connecting the longitudinally extending grooves 6, and in thesetransverse grooves are disposed transverse projections or tongues 8,(Fig. 2), on the slabs. Preferably, each groove 7 has on the upper sidethereof a packing 9 of resilient material disposed between the upperside of the projection 8 and the adjacent upper side of the groove. Thisresilient material is of course of a suitable nature to resist thepassage of water, and is designed to take up any vertical movement whichmay occur, due to upward movement of the deck caused by a risingtemperature. The walls of the transverse grooves and the projectionsdisposed in the grooves form interlocking elements which preventdownwardsliding of the deck and thus transmit the entire weight of thedeck to the buttresses. When for any reason it is desirable to break upthe continuity of the longitudinal grooves, such as shown by the offsetrelation between the grooves 6 and the grooves 6 in Fig. 1, it isdesirable to insert resilient material as at 10, Figs. 1 and 5, at theupper ends of the lower grooves. This resilient material will thencontact with the projections or tongues on the slabs, which are receivedin the grooves 6'.

While I refer to two longitudinally extending grooves, of course, thisnumber may be varied, as founddesirable. For example, in the upper partof the deck shown in Fig. 1, I may find it desirable to use only onegroove 6", extending transversely of which are short grooves 7 Here too,resilient material 11 should be deposited at the upper end of theupstream groove 6, this material, of course, contacting with the upperend of the projection in the groove 6.

I claim 1. In a dam, a plurality of buttresses extending upanddown-stream, an inclined waterbearing deck comprising slabs extendingbetween adjacent buttresses and bearing thereon, each slab having asurface contacting witha surface on a buttress, one of said surfaceshaving a substantially continuous groove extending generally parallel tothe bearing of the slab on the buttress, and the other of said surfaceshaving a substantially cont nuous pro ectlon received in said groove,and interlocking elements on said surfaces cooperating to preventsliding of said proj ection in said groove.

2. In a dam, a plurality of buttresses extending upand down-stream, aninclined water bearing deck comprising slabs extending between adjacentbuttresses and bearing thereon, each slab having a surface contactingwith a surface on a buttress, one of said surfaces having asubstantially continuous groove extending generally parallel to thebearing-of the slab on the buttress, and other grooves extendingtransversely to said firstmentioned groove, and the other of saidsurfaces having a substantially continuous projection received in saidfirst-mentioned groove and transversely extending projections receivedin said transverse grooves.

3. In a dam, a plurality of buttresses extending upand down-stream, aninclined water bearing deck comprising slabs extending between adjacentbuttresses and bearing thereon, each slab having a surface contactingwith a surface on a buttress, one of said surfaces having asubstantially continuous groove extending generally parallel to thebearing of the slab on the buttress, other grooves extendingtransversely to said firstmentioned groove and the other of saidsurfaces having a substantially continuous projection received in saidfirst-mentioned groove and transversely extending projections receivedin said transverse grooves, and resilient material disposed betweensides of said transverse projections and the adjacent sides of thetransverse grooves in which they are received.

' 4. In a dam, a plurality of buttresses extending upand down-stream, aninclined water bearing deck comprising slabs extending between adjacentbuttresses and bearing thereon, each slab having a surface contactingwith a surface on a buttress, one of said surfaces having asubstantially continuous groove extending generally parallel to thebearing of the slab on the buttress, other grooves extendingtransversely to said firstmentioned groove and the other of saidsurfaces having a substantially continuous projection received in saidfirst-mentioned groove and transversely extending projections receivedin said transverse grooves, and resilient material disposed between theupper side of each transverse projection and the adjacent side of thetransverse groove.

5. In a dam, a plurality of buttresses extending upand down-stream, eachbuttress having at its upstream edge a portion extending lengthwise ofthe buttress, a bearing surface extending laterally of the buttress anddisposed at the down-stream edge of one side of said portion, a slabresting on said bearing surface and having a projection disposed in agroove in said side, said projection and groove extending generallyparallel to said bearing surface and being substantially continuousapproximately from top to bottom of the buttress, and interlockingelements on said surfaces cooperating to prevent sliding of saidrejection in said groove.

6. In a dam, a p urality of buttresses extending upand down-stream, eachbuttress having at its upstream edge a portion extending lengthwise ofthe buttress, a bearing surface extending laterally of the buttress anddisposed at the downstream edge of one side of said portion, a slabresting on said bearing surface and having a projection disposed in agroove in said side, said projection and groove extending generallyparallel to said bearing surface and being substantially continuousapproximately from top to bottom of the buttress, and projections on theslab extending transversely of the first mentioned projection anddisposed in grooves in said side.

7. In a dam, a plurality of buttresses extending upand downstream, eachbuttress having at its upstream edge a portion extending lengthwise ofthe buttress, a bearing surface extending laterally of the buttress anddisposed at the down-stream edge of one side of said portion, a slabresting on said bearing surface and having a projection dis posed in agroove in said side, said projection and groove extending generallyparallel to said bearing surface and being substantially continuousapproximately from top to bottom of the buttress, projections on theslab extending transversely of the first-mentioned projection anddisposed in grooves in said side, and resilient material disposedbetween the upper side of each transverse projection and the adjacentside of the groove in which 7 it is received.

8. In a dam, a plurality of buttresses extending upand down-stream, aninclined water bearing deck comprising slabs extending between adjacentbuttresses and bearing thereon, each slab having a surface contactingwith a surface on a buttress, one of said surfaces having projectionstransversely to the deck and disposed in grooves in the other of saidsurfaces.

9. In a dam, a plurality of buttresses extending upand down-stream, aninclined Water bearing deck comprising slabs extending between adjacentbuttresses and bearing thereon, each slab having a surface contactingwith a surface on a buttress, one of said surfaces having projectionstransversely to the deck and disposed in grooves in the other of saidsurfaces, and resilient material disposed between the upper side of eachtransverse projection and the adjacent side of the groove in which it isreceived.

EDGAR H. BURROUGHS.

